Friday, June 27, 2008

It's open season on the net if you leave jackass messages on a person's voicemail.Jesus, I wish I had a way of uploading some of the messages I have from my dating days from answering machine tape....damn...I'm sitting on some comedy that is GOLD!

Listen, I know that we want to blame Mike Harris for everything from lack of Social Services to bunions, but there comes a time.... when we have to move on and acknowledge that we're falling behind when it comes to business because of our City leaders and their bad decisions and provincial attitudes.

The ridiculous taxes on business, and now even on home buyers has driven many into the 905.

The Island Airport debacle.Thanks Miller, for trying your best to make it harder than it needs to be for people to get into and out of the city for business...because God forbid we piss off those 12 people over on the Island.

Public transit that practically doesn't exist.Toronto's attack on car and driver would make sense if we actually had a proper method of travel.

Cash grab parking.Honestly, how are tourists who drive into the city supposed to want to come in for theatre, sports and so on when it costs $30 to park your car?Oh yeah...just park your car at Yorkdale, and travel 45 minutes on the TTC...of course.We LOVE tourists...especially the ones from small town Ontario.

The hate on that 416 has for 905.Seriously, how are we supposed to expand and amalgamate transit and services, and share business when we hate each others guts based on some sort of perceived "suburban" vs "hipster" thing. Let's face it...the people I've met who think they're the "hippest" come from the 'burbs or small town Ontario. Like your parents divorce...GET OVER IT!

I LOVE the Racetrack.For a lot of reasons, but mostly for the characters.It's easy to get caught up in the adrenaline rush of betting and watching the race.

I've been trying to talk The Mister into going with me (to no avail)...I even secretly tried to get my sister-in-law to agree to have her Jack and Jill at Woodbine Racetrack when she was planning her wedding...(foiled again...)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

"My parents weren’t being racist (or at least not maliciously so): Their beliefs were shaped by the reality in which they were brought up, and the culture to which they’d immigrated. They’d seen the challenges faced by people in mixed relationships, and they wanted my sister and me to have an easier life. Things weren’t easy for mixed couples in the 1970s, particularly among immigrant groups, where social networks were critical yet fragile, and most community support systems were contingent on “insider” versus “outsider” status."

So...let me get this straight...MY white parents/family feeling that way (perhaps not maliciously so..) are perceived as "racist" while your parents feeling that way is perceived as concern about being labeled an "outsider".

That's fair.

In true fairness...the article has a lot of merit.

Let's face it...those were the exact concerns of my family.However, it was certainly perceived by me and everyone else around me as being racist.

As I said before, perhaps not "maliciously so"...but, racist nonetheless.

It's that paragraph that reminds me that many justify their own feelings, while pointing out the thorny feelings of others...and the myth of justified racism based merely on the fact that you're not white.

I find this kind of humourous, since it isn't the questioning that is infuriating to employers...GASP! To employers even younger than 50!

It's the lack of respect and commitment to the job that is the infuriating part.Last year I fired a part-timer because she didn't show up a second time.

No call. No remorse.

She seemed genuinely shocked that I was letting her go. Even after I told her the first time that she'd be let go if she did it again.Even after the lecture on why other people were depending on her to show up.The excuse?She had to buy shoes for some special occasion.

When I told my colleague the story, her eyes widened and she said; "SHOES! I LOVE SHOES! Why didn't she say that right away! You were being an unreasonable bitch."

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Do you eat like a man or a woman?

"Research data shows men and women tend to prefer different foods and flavors. So let's put the studies to the test with a completely unscientific, but fun quiz. Answer these eleven questions to see if you eat more like a man or more like a woman."

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The solution is not to buy into the horseshit that the wedding industry tries to convince you that you absolutely have to have.

Weddings are just window dressing, and an opportunity for some women to live out some sort of Barbie/Princess fantasy, or for some parents to compete with their family and neighbours in the "I did better than you in life" competition.

I can think of about 7 million things more worthy than a dress to spend two or three grand on....and none of those things is a cake, or theme costumes for my 11 bridesmaids and 6 flower girls, or a limo bus, or flowers, or centerpieces...or anything else like that.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

A while ago, The Mister and me were driving along when we witnessed an aggressive cut off for no good reason. The driver sped up and cut off a person in the lane to the right of us, and then promptly slowed down.It got The Mister and me talking about driving styles...The Mister thinks that the way people drive is an extension of their personalities...and I tend to agree.

Take my test.

Are you a Toronto driver?

You're driving along and someone behind you has their highbeams on for no good reason.You...A) Slam on your brakes.B) Get behind them and turn on your highbeams.C) Flick your mirror up and keep driving until they move from behind.

You're coming up to an intersection and the driver in front of you suddenly turns on their left turn signal.You...A) Follow them, get in front and slam on your brakes.B) Follow them, get in front and turn on you turn signal at the last minute at the next intersection.C) Wait until they turn and go on your merry way.

You're waiting for the streetcar to close it's doors so that you can catch the light. The driver keeps them open with no one getting on, and closes them just as the light turns red.You...A) Get in front of it and slam on your brakes.B) Pull up next to the doors and catch the drivers attention and flip him the bird while mouthing obscenities.C) Wait for the light to change and go on your merry way.

Someone cuts you off.You...A) Get in front of them and hit the brakes.B) Get in the lane next to them and stay next to them making sure that they can never get into your lane again. Refuse to make eye contact.C) Chuckle about how stupid people can be, and go on your merry way.

Someone is tailgating you.You...A) Slam on your brakes.B) Get behind them and tailgate themC) Change lanes to get away from that crazy person, and go on your merry way.

Someone wants to get into your lane.You...A) Speed up and and slow down to stay at par with them. When you finally let them in, get into the lane they just changed from.B) Speed up, and when they get into your lane...hit the brakes.C) Slow down and let them in...they're in more of a hurry than you are.

You're changing lanes.You...A) Keep your turn signal on, and take as long as you can to get into the lane.B) Speed up, get in the lane and then slow right down.C) Speed up, get in the lane and go on your merry way.

If you answered "C" to any of these questions, you are NOT a Torontonian.

My friend Anna sent me an email telling me about a 60 minutes segment she saw the other night on Denmark being the "happiest" country. (Watch it here)

It appears that happiness is tied to attitude.If you don't expect much, you're not disappointed as much, and are more likely to be happy when things turn out better than you expected.

I'm of the mind that happiness is fleeting.I mean, I can feel contented, and appreciate that I have a good life without chasing "happiness" around.

This whole concept of perpetual happiness is really ridiculous.

But there are many people who think that happy is something you need to be all of the time.Which is really impossible, when you think about it...but, when you're bombarded with ads and television shows and commercials telling you that there is something wrong with you if you aren't perpetually "happy" (whateverthat is)...and that if you're not, you need to be medicated.

It's on this continent that we're constantly looking to "up the ante" on life....bigger, faster, stronger...never satisfied...to the point that we induce our own depression.

My Uncle always told me:

"Don't make yourself too complicated. Find pleasure in simple things...if you make yourself too complicated, you'll never be happy".

"A TTC bus went out of control and crashed into several objects and vehicles on a 1km long stretch of road in the Yonge and York Mills area before coming to a halt. Early reports suggest that the driver may have suffered from a medical episode that led to the crash. Union boss Bob Kinnear is expected to tell us that absurd suggestions like driver training and periodic physicals are both violations of employee privacy."

The one really good thing about not being rich and famous is that you only have your close friends and family up your bum about "what happened" when a relationship ends.

When you're famous, you have to say crap like "I'm really happy for him..." and, "I wish him all the best...", or "We're still good friends...", instead of "Oh, he should just piss off the bloody, selfish, two-faced, chicken, bastard, pig-dog man", or "May his house be shown burning on CNN".

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Drive By

The other day, I just held my camera out my window and snapped shots as I was driving to my destination.I didn't look at what I was photographing.I didn't look at them until I uploaded them.I quite like some of them:

I love seniors.They've a treasure trove of life experience, and live witnesses to history.They can paint a picture of an era with a story.

I ran an after school inter generational program for elementary school children and seniors at Bloorview for a number of years, and was continuously surprised, and disappointed by the number of parents who didn't want their children participating.

They didn't want their children to see any sickness, or have to deal with the death of their senior pal...and it did happen, and we talked about it.It's a part of life, after all...and kids are more resilient than their parents give them credit for, if they'd only let them participate in the realities of life.

The Globe and Mail has done an interesting documentary on life in a Seniors Home.